Wednesday, December 21, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS--Four athletes with ties to the state of Washington will represent the USA on January 7th at the second annual BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country International Challenge meet.

Teams from the United States, Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a select European team will compete in men’s and women’s junior and senior races. Each country competing in the International Team Challenge will consist of nine athletes per team (six on the junior teams) with the first six athletes per team scoring. In cross country, the team with the lowest overall score wins.

NCAA Division II 10000 meter champ Sarah Porter, who recently completed her eligibility at Western Washington University and made her pro debut at the ING New York City Marathon, will be on the senior women's squad.

Three runners from Spokane will be on the USA junior squad, including Katie Knight (left/photo by Paul Merca), Nathan Weitz, and Andrew Gardner. Weitz recently finished 3rd at the Foot Locker Championships while Gardner took 6th.

Knight won the Nike Border Clash in Beaverton last month, and was third at the Nike Cross Nationals at Portland Meadows earlier this month.

Brie Felnagle and Katie Follett, who finished 1-3 at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships at Seattle's Jefferson Park, declined their spots on the team.

We are honored to receive this award, as it comes from our peers who passionately cover the sport, and strive to continue the legacy of excellence that the late Adam Jacobs sought before his untimely passing.

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About Me

Internationally respected track and field writer Paul Merca brings his take on the sport to paulmerca.blogspot.com.
Paul was the assistant director of communications for the 1984 USA Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, WA., and public relations director for the 1999 USA Cross Country Championships in Tacoma, WA.
The current public address announcer for the University of Washington's home track and field meets, Merca's been a media assistant to the USA national team (2001-11, 13, 15) at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
His vast knowledge of the sport has been utilized by many of the country's sports television networks, and is a senior writer to Northwest Runner magazine. He's covered twelve IAAF World Track & Field Championships, and two Olympics.
Merca graduated from Seattle's Franklin High School in 1977, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1981 in Communications.
He competed in track and cross country at Franklin, and ran cross country at the University of Washington.